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Beach Boys wow city

Original members, filming makes concert memorable for fans

The Beach Boys perform at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre on Wednesday, May 2, 2012. BY DARON DEAN, daron.dean@staugustine.com

The Beach Boys and their management selected the St. Augustine Amphitheatre and the St. Johns County community as the location for their upcoming concert special. "Live from the St. Augustine Amphitheatre" footage will be part of the Beach Boys special, planned to be nationally syndicated and aired on PBS as part of the new series entitled "Front Row Center," presented by WNET in New York. BY DOUGLAS JORDAN, Special to The Record

As the capacity crowd entered the gates of the St. Augustine Amphitheatre for Wednesday night’s Beach Boys concert, they were greeted with a sign that told them they were consenting to being videotaped for a television documentary.

“That’s just fine by me,” said Janet Wysocki, who stopped by the Amphitheatre on Wednesday afternoon to see if there were any more tickets available. “I’m just happy that I was able to get two tickets. I’d love to be in the movie. I’ve been a Beach Boys fan since I was a teenager, back in the ’60s.”

By 2 p.m. just a handful of tickets were left, said Natacha McLeod, marketing and community relations manager for the St. Johns County Cultural Events Division, which manages the facility.

Though the Beach Boys have played the Amphitheatre before, two things made this show special.

First, unlike the previous concert, Wednesday’s show featured all of the surviving original members, who are touring together for the first time in more than two decades.

Second, the entire show was videotaped for a new PBS series, “Front Row Center,” presented by WNET in New York. The footage, “Live from the St. Augustine Amphitheatre,” will be part of a Beach Boys special planned to be nationally syndicated and aired on PBS on June 7.

A full 12-piece camera crew documented the Beach Boys (Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks) around town this week before shooting the show at the Amphitheatre.

Choosing St. Augustine

Film scouts toured various locations — including the Hollywood Bowl, the Greek Theatre, the Chicago Theatre and Red Rocks Amphitheatre — to find the perfect filming locations for their special. After narrowing it down to the top four, the St. Augustine Amphitheatre was chosen as one of the two venues that will be used for filming.

“We feel very lucky to have this opportunity,” said Ryan Murphy, general manager for the Amphitheatre. “They could have chosen any number of other cities, but they picked us. We’re quite proud.”

Joe Thomas, who is producing and directing the documentary for the video production company HD Ready, said Murphy had pitched St. Augustine very well.

“He’s done a great job of promoting his venue and his wonderful city,” Thomas said Wednesday. “And we are excited about this place. It’s an ideal setting for an intimate show featuring one of the country’s most famous musical groups, and perfect for our crew.

“The idea of the “Front Row Center” series is to give some of the best musicians in the business the ability to just do what they do best, and that’s play,” Thomas said. “Our job is to capture the moments that make these concerts special so that everyone watching experiences the best that each musician has to offer.”

Special planned

Thomas, who has worked extensively with Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson, said some of the footage from St. Augustine will also be included in a longer, 2-hour special, “The Beach Boys: Summer’s Gone,” which documents the group’s efforts to celebrate their 50th anniversary with a look back at their career. It features never-before-seen archival concert footage, plus songs from their new album, “That’s Why God Made the Radio.”

“These guys have been doing this for a long time,” Thomas said. “And their market appeal is still very strong, with at least three generations of music fans plugging into it. This really is a celebration.”

Catching the spirit

Though he couldn’t say how much money was being spent to produce the documentary, Thomas estimated that it was in “the six figures, easily.”

For the St. Augustine show, a crew of 30 people were dedicated just to video production, featuring stationary as well as hand-held high-definition cameras, totaling 12 cameras in all.

“We want to capture the spirit of the crowds, of course, so lots of St. Augustine residents will be able to see their faces in the final product,” he said. “And this is such a beautiful place. It’s going to be fantastic.”

With 25 years of experience in the entertainment field, Thomas’ career spans the music and television industries as a writer, engineer and producer, as well as a studio owner and music label president.

Enjoying the town

The band members and video crew have been staying at the Casa Monica Hotel and enjoying the town for the past several days, Thomas said.

“They’ve been having fun in St. Augustine,” he said. “And it’s nice, because this has also been a chance for them to rest. It’s not often when you can get a chance to decompress in the middle of a tour.”

Weather also wasn’t going to be a problem, he said.

“This is a rain-or-shine venue, and we’re prepared to go no matter what happens,” he said. “But the weather here has been fantastic the whole time we’ve been here, and we’re happy about that.”

McLeod, who has been working for St. Johns County for about a year, said on Wednesday afternoon that she was excited about the show.

“I’m a Beach Boys fan, sure,” she said. “My favorite song is ‘God Only Knows.’ Of course, I’ll be working hard while they’re playing, but I’ll still be enjoying it, like I always do.”